Take A Tour

Overview
There are a number of things you can do in the PearlSoup Community. You can:

• Read Pearls
• Write and submit your own Pearls
• Rate Pearls
• Read and write comments on Pearls
• Contribute to discussion forums
• Create your own scrapbook of the Pearls that you find most valuable

Read Pearls
To read Pearls you have a number of choices:

On the home page you can select from the main category box, select a top rated Pearl, or select one of the recent Pearls.

On most pages, you can BROWSE for Pearls by selecting a category from the Select Category box on the right end of the navigation bar at the top of the page.

You can SEARCH for Pearls using the Search box at the left end of the navigation bar. Enter a single keyword or a phrase, then hit return or click on “Go”.

You can get a Pearl chosen for you when you let us SERVE Pearls to you. In the current phase of our site the selection of Pearls is random (except it will always pick one you haven't read, if you're signed in). Eventually, the selection will be based on any information we have about what you like, drawn from your visits to our site. We will use this information to provide you with Pearls that you are likely to find valuable. The more Pearls that you read and rate, the better we can do at choosing ones you will like. You can have Pearls SERVED to you by clicking the “Pick Pearl For Me” button in the middle of the navigation bar at the top of the page.

Write and submit your own Pearls
For the Pearls community to work, we need you and other community members like you to reflect on your most important experiences and share them. The primary way to do this is to write up your own Pearls (stories) and submit them to the site. For more information, go to How To Write A Pearl.

Rate Pearls
As a registered member, you can rate Pearls. Rating is a quick and simple, yet important, part of building the PearlSoup community. Without ratings there would be no way to find the best-liked Pearls and comments. We want to make sure that the largest possible number of readers sees the best Pearls. By rating Pearls you help others find the best that our community has to offer. You also help us to understand what you like, so that we can present Pearls to you that you are most likely to find valuable.

Read and write comments on Pearls
You can read comments by clicking on the "Comments On This Pearl" link at the bottom of the Pearl text on the right side of the page, or the "Comments" tab above the Pearl title. This is a place to share comments about a specific Pearl. It provides an opportunity to deepen the experience for ourselves, other readers, and the author of the Pearl. You can add your own comments (as long as you are signed in) by clicking on the yellow "Add Comment" link on the Comments page.

Contribute to discussion forums
Here's your chance to enter into dialogue with other members of the PearlSoup community on any PearlSoup or wisdom-related topic. It's also a place to get answers from other community members to your technical questions about how to do things on the site.

Create your own scrapbook
Whenever you read a Pearl you find especially valuable, you can add it to your personal scrapbook. This is an easy way to keep track of your favorites. Add Pearls to your scrapbook by clicking on the "Add To My Scrapbook" link at the bottom of the text for any Pearl. To access your scrapbook, click on My Account in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and then click My Scrapbook in the column on the left side of the page.

There's lots more
You can have a message sent to you when an author you like submits a new Pearl. You can send a Pearl to a friend you know it's just right for. There are many more things you can do. Explore, and enjoy...